Who Is William Howard Hughes Jr.? Air Force Captain With Top Secret Clearance Found After 35 Years

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) said that a fugitive captain has been apprehended in California after being declared a deserter nearly 35 years ago.

Capt. William Howard Hughes, Jr. was apprehended at his home in California without incident and is awaiting pretrial confinement, the OSI said.

According to a news release, Hughes admitted his identity during an interview with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service as part of a passport fraud investigation. Hughes had been claiming to be an individual named Barry O’Beirne but admitted that he was actually named William Howard Hughes, Jr. and that he had deserted the Air Force, the OSI said.

Hughes was last seen in the New Mexico area withdrawing $28,500 from 19 separate banks.

In July 1983 Hughes had been assigned to temporary duty in the Netherlands, to work with NATO officers “on the operations of Airborne Warning and Control electronic surveillance aircraft,” but never resurfaced after leaving for Europe.

He had been scheduled to return to the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 1. He was officially declared a deserter by the Air Force on December 9, 1983.

According to the OSI, Hughes had "Top Secret/Single Scope Background Investigation clearance" at the time of his disappearance, with access to U.S. secret and NATO secret information.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that in 1984 the Pentagon said that although Hughes had top secret clearance, he did not have clearance that could “compromise national security.” An OSI spokesperson told the newspaper there was no indication Hughes had given away any classified information.

An undated picture of Capt. William Howard Hughes, Jr. Hughes was recently apprehended 35 years after he was alleged to have deserted. United States Air Force

Checks with law enforcement around the U.S. and abroad, and interviews with those who knew Hughes, did not provide enough information for the Air Force to find him at the time.

Hughes claimed that he was depressed about his time in the Air Force and so decided to leave. He was single when he disappeared and said he had lived in California as Barry O’Beirne since.

His family did not appear to know about his disappearance, with the Albuquerque Journal reporting that Hughes's sisters said at the time that they thought he might have been abducted. The family has since been notified.

Senator Bob Menendez said he was "disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights."